Coffin for preserving corpses aboard ship.



:PATENTBD JULY 2,' 190'12 l W. S. UPSHUR. GOFFIN FOR PRESBRVIN G GORPSBS ABOARD SHIPS.

Arrmuunm- FILED nom-20.1808.

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lPATENTED 'JULY 2, 1907. SQ UPSHUR. I GOFFIN FORPRBSERVING GORPSES ABOARD SHIPS.

' APPLIOA'TIOH I'ILED'NOV. 20. 1906.

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' UNITED STATESy PATENT OFFICE. l

COFFIN FOR PRESERVING GORPSES ABOARD SHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1902.

Application filed November 20,1906. Serial N0. 344,332.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that iI, WALTER S. UPsHUn, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Newport News, in the county o Warwick and State o Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cofns or Preserving Corpses Aboard Ship, oi which the following is a specification.

It has long been the universal practice when a person dies at lsea to throw the body overboard, no means having heretofore been devised for preserving the body aboard ship. This practice has deterred many from taking an ocean voyage as the thought oi the body being made ood or sharks is extremely repulsive and notonly causes some to refrain from commencing to make such a voyage, but it'also impairs the pleasure of a voyage during passage to others who take it.

It is the object oi my invention to provide suitable means for preserving bodies o those dying at sea aboard ship.

The invention herein claimed relates to the coffin or casket in which the body is placed. In my companion application or patent filed November 20, 1906, No. 344,3317 I have shown a vault oi novel construction for receiving and storing such coffins. The vault, as therein shown, is made air-tight and provided with reirigerating means which maintains the vault at such a low temperature as to avoid any danger of decomposition, and the cohns are oi such construction as to permit a :tree circulation of cold air around the corpses. The vault holds the coffins securely against any movement by the motion of the ship and the cofns are arranged to hold the corpses within them in such manner as to be unaffected by the ships movements.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the ways now-best known to me o carrying out my invention, but the details of construction shown may be varied and some parts may be changed without departing from the novel features of my invention.

Figure l is a perspective view of one of my improved cofns. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective and in vertical longitudinal section of the coffin showing how a corpse is secured therein. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a pillow or cushion which may be employed for the head of the corpse. Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating one of the fastening devices employed for securing the cover to the coffin. Fig. 5 is aperspective view oi one o the devices for holding down the cross pieces which hold the body in place. Fig. 6 is a view partly in elevation, partly in section and with a part broken away of one of the posts or pegs `employed for holding the body in place Fig. 7 is a similar view of one oi the posts or pegs employed or the same purpose and also or the purpose of supporting the head and foot pieces. Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the cleats employed for holding the false bottom elevated. Fig. 9 shOws a horizontal section of the coflin. Fig. l() shows a transverse section thereof. Fig. 11 is a detail view illustrating one of the arms employed for centering the false bottom. Fig. 12 is a perspective view o one of the head and foot pieces. v

Fig. 13 shows a horizontal cross section thereof. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of one o the cross pieces employed for holding the body in position. Fig. l5 is a perspective view in vertical section of a modied orm of coiiin. Fig. 16 is a detail view illustrating how the periorations in the coiiin may be metal lined.

The box or coin proper, A, `may be made of any suitable material, preferably suitable wood.` It'has a bottom, two side, and two end pieces and a removable cover, B. The bottom is imperiorate, but the sides and ,ends are provided with perforations, a, and the cover, B, is ormed with staggered lines of periorations, b. Suitable handles, C, in the side and end pieces are employed, and these handles are arranged in recesses, as shown, so as not to project from the box.

The bottom of the box is provided with metal strips, D, which constitute rails against which the rollers, employed in my receiving vault, bearwhen the Collin is being inserted into and being withdrawn from, the vault. The cover is secured to the box by fastening devices, E, arranged at suitable intervals. aPreerably each fastening device consists of a swinging eye bolt, hinged in a recess, e, in the upper' edge o the box and carrying a thumb-nut, e2. The cover is provided with recesses, e3, to receive the bolts. When the bolts are moved to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, the cover is not secured 'and can be easily removed. The bolts can be swung to the vertical position shown by ull lines in Fig. 4 into the notches, e3, and then the nuts can be screwed down to securely attach the cover to the box.

In the preferred orm oi my invention, as shown in Fig. 2, I provide an inner vessel or receptacle, F, for receiving the body, and which may be removed from the box if desired. This receptacle is preferably made oi iron thoroughly enameled on the inside and covered with enamel paint on the outside. It is only slightly smaller in dimensions than the box so as to have but little movement therein but can be easily inserted or withdrawn. Preferably the upper. edge of the receptacle is bent inwardly at f, as shown, and this inwardly projecting rim may be used as a handle. When the box cover is secured in place it rests on the top rim f and ser-ves to hold the receptacle, F, firmly in position.

Within the reeeptacle, F, I arrange a false bottom, G. This may be made of suitable material such as metal thoroughly enameled. It is perforated at g, as illustrated, these perforations corresponding in position approximately with the outer lines ofperforations b in the box cover. Arms, GQ having cushions, g/, are attached at the opposite side and end edges of the false bottom and serve to Center the false bottom or hold it away from the sides of the vessel, F, as shown particularly in Fig. 9. In order to hold the false bottom away from the bottom of the vessel, F, cleats, H, are employed, which are preferably formed of angle-iron, as shown, and extend from one side of the false bottom to the other, as shown in Fig. 9. These cleats are faced with rubber, h, to prevent injury to the enamel. In this way the perforated false bottom is held in such manner as to permit a free circulation of air.

The body, X, is placed on the false bottom and is held in place thereon by the means next to be described. The head of the body may be supported by a cushion, I, preferably made in the form of a rubber ring inflated by air. Head and foot pieces, tI, K, are employed for preventing endwise movement of the body in the Collin. The head piece, J, is arranged close to the top of the head and the foot piece, K, is arranged close to the soles of the feet. The head and foot pieces are adjustable for bodies of different lengths. The head piece preferably comprises vertical posts or pegs j and a cross piece, jf, consisting of a sheet of metal, preferably covered with white enamel, and attached to the vertical posts. Each of these posts is preferably formed in the manner shown in Fig. 7. It has a conical top or upper end, j2, a reduced central portion, ja, providing a shoulder, j, and a collar, j5, arranged a short distance above the lower end of the post providing shoulders j, js and a portion j7, adapted to enter the perforations, g, in the false bottom. The perforations, b, in the cover are all cone-shaped, the bases of the cones being on the inside of the cover. The cones, jg, lit the conical perforations, b, and the ends, j7, fit the perforations, g, in the false bottom. These posts serve therefore to hold the false bottom down against the bottom of the vessel, F, as well as to support the cross pieces, jd These cross pieces are attached to the posts in the manner illustrated in Figs. l2 and 13, that is to say, the opposite ends of the sheet are curled around the central por'- tions, jg, of the posts between the shoulders, jf and js. The foot piece is constructed in precisely the same way as the head piece. I also employ additional posts for holding the false bottom in position and for holding the corpse on the false bottom. These posts are prefer'- ably made in the manner indicated in Fig. The body portion of the post being made of a tube, Z, to the upper end of which is tted a conical plug, Zf, and to the lower end of which is fitted a shouldered plug, l2. Any desired number of these posts may be employed for holding down the false bottom. I preferably employ eight such posts as shown in Fig. 2,-two of them being arranged on the opposite sides of the neck of the body, two in the region of the arm-pits, two on the outsides of the wrists, and two on the opposite sides of the knees. A greater or less number may be employed, the object being to prevent sidewise movement of the body. The conical plugs, Z, ht the conical holes in the cover and the shouldered ends, Z', lit the holes in the false bottom. When the cover is removed the posts separate from the cover and they may be also easily separated from the false bottom. ln order to hold the body down upon the false bottom, l preferably employ cross pieces, M, which may be also made of enameled metal or of other suitable material. lheso cross pieces are provided with perforations m, to receive the posts, L. The posts pass up through the perforations in the cross pieces, the cross pieces rest upon the body at different points and are held down by means of blocks, N carrying set-screws, N. lt will thus be seen that the body may be held in place in the coffin in such manner as to be secure against any movement which would otherwise be caused by the motion of the ship when tossed by the waves. Provision is made for a free circulation of cold air, so that there is no danger' of decomposition. lhe'securiug means may be easily manipulated for adjustment or removal.

The box, as before stated, is preferably made of wood. The larger metallic parts are preferably made of enameled iron, while other parts may be made of such metal as brass, which is not apt to rust. I prefer to use enameled ware whereverpracticable.

It is not absolutely essential that the inner vessely F be employed. In Fig. l5 I have shown the wooden box lined at O with suitable material. llris may be block tin, Zinc or like material. If desired the perforations may be lined with metal o, as illustrated in Fig. lt. Such linings need hardly be used in the sides or ends of the box, but it may be desirable to line the perforations in the box cover.

I do not wish to limit myself to the details of construction shown.

As far as I am aware, I am the first to provide a Collin suitably constructed to hold a body securely in pl acc so as not to be affected by the tossing of a ship at sea and to provide for a suitable circulation of air about the body.

I claim as my invention 1. A coliln for preserving corpses aboard ship, comprising a perforated box having a perforated over and containing a perforated false bottom,

2. A corlin comprising- :r box provided with r detachable cover, means for securing the cover to the box a false bottom within the box and posts interposed between the cover' and the false bottom and engaging them for holding' the false bottom in place.

3. A coiiin comprising a perforated box, a perforated false bottom, cleats on the under side ot' the false bottom for holdingl it elevated above the bottom of the box, laterally projecting arms on the false bottom for centering it within the box, and means for holding the false bottom in place in the lower' portion of the box.

4, A Collin comprising a box, a false bottom, and adjustable head and foot pieces interposed between the false bottom and the cover of the box.

5. A coiin comprising,- a box, a perforated false bottoni, posts interposed between the false bottom and the cover of the box, and a perforated sheet connectingthe posts.

G. A coflin comprising a box having :L detachable cover, a false bottom, posts interposed between the false bottom and the cover' of the box and vertically adjustable crosspieces carried by the posts for holding, the body in place.

7. A eoiiin comprising a perforated box having a perfor-ated detachable cover, a perforated false bottom within the box provided with means for holding it away from the bottom and sides of the box, adjustable foot and head pieces, posts interposed between the false bottom and the cover of the box for holding the body in place and for holding the false bottom in position, and adjustable cross pieces for holding the body down upon the false bottom.

8. A coffin comprising a perforated box, an inner receptacle removable from the box, a false bottom within said receptacle, means for holding the false bottom in place,

lO and means for attaching the body to the false bottom.

9. A cofn'comprising a perforated box having a perforated detachable cover, an inner receptacle removable from the box and having an inturned rim at its upper end, a perforated false bottom within the inner receptacle, adjustable foot and head pieces, means for securing the body to the false bottom, and means for centering the false bottom and for holding it securely in place.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WALTER S. UPSHUR.

Witnesses:

LLOYD B. WRIGHT, E. B. FnANzoNI. 

